First Look: The Hottest Tech Products That Broke Cover at MWC 2016

This month's Mobile World Congress, one of the largest tech industry events that happens every February, was a stage for a number of high-profile product debuts from the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony, and HP, among others. Get a first look at the upcoming 2016 tech launches.

This year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was one of the most eventful industry events in quite some time. It was the venue of choice for the debuts of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, as well as surprising high-profile announcements by Sony and HP.

Virtual reality was a major theme at the event — Samsung, LG, and Alcatel released products with VR headset accessories. HTC, on the other hand, revealed pricing and availability details of its excellent Vive VR headset, powered by Steam. See all these products and more below and get excited for the year ahead in tech releases!

Note: Most of the devices on this list are not yet available to buy. We will add pricing and purchase links when available for sale.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge Smartphones

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are two iterations of Samsung's 2016 hero smartphone, separated by screen size and design. The Galaxy S7 packs a 5.1-inch QHD display, while the Galaxy S7 edge totes a 5.5-inch QHD uint with gorgeous dual curves.

Both smartphones are brimming with the latest top-shelf hardware available today, headed by powerful Qualcomm chipset, 12MP camera with ultra-fast autofocus and 4K video capture, and expandable memory. Most importantly, Samsung has equipped the power couple with large batteries, as well as IP68 rating for water resistance, without sacrificing their attractive looks.

Both Samsung Galaxy S7 models are available for pre-order from all major carriers. Retail sales are scheduled to kick off on March 11.

Huawei MateBook

Huawei took the wraps off the high-end MateBook — a Windows 10-powered 2-in-1 device, whose design appears to be heavily inspired by the full-size Apple iPad Pro. The MateBook will launch in the months ahead with a price tag that ranges from $699 to $1,599, depending on the hardware configuration.

Key features of the MateBook include a 12-inch IPS display with 2,160 by 1,440 pixels, a chose of sixth-generation Intel Core m CPU with up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB SSD.

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LG G5 Smartphone

LG G5 is the tech giant's 2016 take on a premium Android smartphone. The biggest highlight in the newcomer is the range of cool modular accessories that will launch alongside it. They include a VR camera and headset, a mobile DAC by Bang & Olufsen, a camera grip, and a remote-controlled robot with a built-in camera.

Of course, like all high-end LG smartphones, the G5 is also equipped with cutting-edge hardware. Key features include a duo of camera sensors on the back of the device, a gorgeous 5.3-inch QHD display, expandable memory, and a removable battery. The latter is an impressive engineering feat, considering the handset's thin metal body.

HP Elite x3 Smartphone

HP surprised quite a few people by launching the Elite x3 phablet with Windows 10 on board. The handset is a beast with a 6-inch QHD display, front-facing speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen, 16MP camera, and 64GB of expandable memory, tucked into a water-resistant body that's also capable of surviving accidental drops.

The Elite x3 will have an optional desktop dock, as well as a laptop device that utilizes the phone's considerable processing power. HP will launch the handset later this year.

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Sony Xperia X Series Smartphone

Sony replaced its Z Series of high-end smartphones with the brand new X Series, which debuted with three members. They include Sony Xperia X, Xperia XA, and the Xperia Performance. The Xperia Performance, as its name somewhat suggests, is the most powerful member of the bunch. It features Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 820 chipset, 5-inch 1080p display, advanced 23MP camera, and waterproof body.

There is no word on the exact availability of the Sony X Series trio, but interested buyers can register online and receive updates about the phones.

Microsoft Lumia 650 Smartphone

The Lumia 650 by Microsoft is an entry-level Windows 10 device with thin and attractive metal body. The handset won't wow anyone with its hardware specs, but it marks a switch to a more premium design by the Redmond giant, which will bode well for the successor of the Lumia 950.

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Alcatel Idol 4 Series Smartphone

Alcatel made one of the best affordable smartphones of 2015 with the Idol 3 and its duo of successors take things up a notch. The Idol 4 and Idol 4 by Alcatel feature sleek reversible design, powerful hardware, stereo speakers, and quality earbuds in their retail package. The device's retail packages themselves are also quite cool. The boxes will fold into VR headsets, thus allowing the users to experience content in a whole new way.

HTC Desire 825, Desire 630, and Desire 530 Smartphones

HTC launched a trio of affordable Desire smartphones with eye-grabbing, colorful shells, and solid sound credentials. The Desire 825, Desire 630, and Desire 530 vary in screen size and internals, as well as price tag. They have stereo speakers, as well as support for Hi-Res Audio. HTC will even bundle compatible headphones with each device.

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ZTE Spro Plus Smart Projector

The Spro Plus is a smart projector by ZTE that also doubles as a premium Android tablet. It can project content with a diagonal of up to 80 inches from a distance of only 2.4 meters. Key hardware specs of the device include an 8.4-inch QHD AMOLED, 3GB of RAM, 3GB of RAM, up to 128GB of built-in memory, and stereo speakers tuned by Harman.